The invention relates to a camera comprising a housing and a shoulder support for supporting the housing on a shoulder, which shoulder support comprises a flexible carrying member having a first end and a second end and a carrying surface which is remote from the camera and which is adapted to cooperate with a shoulder, which carrying member is connected to the housing by means of a comparatively stiff first connecting member near the first end of said carrying member and is connected to the housing by means of a comparatively stiff second connecting member near the second end of said carrying member.
The invention also relates to a shoulder support for carrying a load on a shoulder.
Such a camera and such a shoulder support are known from practice. The shoulder support of the known camera comprises a carrying strap and a metal yoke connecting the two ends of the carrying strap. The yoke comprises a coupling member which couples the shoulder support to the camera. A disadvantage of the known camera is that it does not provide a satisfactory hold on the shoulder. Another disadvantage is that it exerts a substantial pressure on the top of the shoulder. A further disadvantage is that the camera is difficult to poise.
It is an object of the invention to provide a camera of the type defined in the opening paragraph, which mitigates these disadvantages. To this end, the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the first connecting member is movably coupled to the second connecting member. By placing the camera on a shoulder in such a manner that the shoulder bears against the carrying member at a position between the ends of the carrying member, a pulling force is produced in the carrying member, which force acts upon the connecting members and urges the ends of the carrying member towards one another. Since the connecting members are coupled in such a manner that the ends of the carrying member can move towards one another the shoulder support exerts a clamping action on the front and the back of the shoulder. As a result of this, the weight of the camera is distributed over a larger area of the shoulder, so that less pressure is exerted on the shoulder. Moreover, the clamping action provides a better hold of the shoulder support on the shoulder, so that the camera better follows shoulder movements, for example panning movements about a vertical axis. Moreover, poising the camera on the shoulder is easier since the shoulder support also bears against the front and the back of the shoulder. Moreover, the measures in accordance with the invention ensure a satisfactory fit of the shoulder support over a large range of shoulder dimensions.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that at least one of the connecting members is hingeably connected to the housing. Thus, the first connecting member is coupled to the second connecting member by a simple and robust construction. In addition, the degree of clamping of the shoulder support on the shoulder can be influenced by appropriately positioning the hinging point of the connecting member.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the housing has an underside provided with a mounting surface for mounting the camera onto a stand, and the shoulder support extends near the underside. The shoulder support is situated on the underside of the camera, so that the camera can be placed onto the shoulder. The shoulder support is preferably mounted below the center of gravity of the camera. When a stand is used the stand is preferably also situated below the center of gravity of the camera. Said characteristic feature enables both the mounting surface and the shoulder support to be situated below the center of gravity of the camera.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the second connecting member is hingeably secured to the housing. As a result of this measure, the shoulder support can be folded in. In addition, it enables the camera to be moved relative to the carrying member, as a result of which the center of gravity of the camera can be positioned straight above the shoulder. Preferably, the distance between the points about which connecting members are hingeable is selected to be smaller than the distance in the case of placement on a shoulder between the point where the first connecting member is secured to the carrying member and the point where the second connecting member is secured to the carrying member. This enables a virtual pivot to be created which is situated above the center of gravity of the camera, thereby providing a further improvement of the balance of the camera with respect to the shoulder. It has been found that good results are achieved if the distance between the points about which the connecting members are hingeable is selected to be between 8 and 15 cm.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the housing has a recess in the underside, and the connecting members are secured to the housing at the location of the recess. As a result of these measures the shoulder support can be accommodated wholly in the recess in its folded-in condition, so that it does not project from the mounting surface. This enables the camera to be mounted directly onto a stand without removal of the shoulder support from the camera. Some cameras have a foam rubber pad, which serves as a shoulder support, fitted in a recess in the underside. It has been found that this foam rubber pad can be replaced by the shoulder support in accordance with the invention, the existing recess being large enough to accommodate the shoulder support.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the connecting members have a given length and are each secured to the housing by means of a hinge, and the distance between the hinges is greater than the sum of the lengths of the connecting members. As a result of these measures, the connecting members do not overlap in the folded-in condition, so that the shoulder support occupies only little space in its folded-in condition.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the flexible carrying member is hingeably secured to the connecting members. Owing to the measure, the shoulder support can be folded in more easily. Moreover, it enables the center of gravity of the camera to be transferred more easily to a point above the shoulder.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the flexible carrying member comprises rubber. Rubber is particularly suited because, apart from being flexible, it is also resilient and has a high coefficient of friction. As a result of the resilience, the shoulder support can be designed in such a manner that it unfolds automatically when not locked and that it can readily be placed onto the shoulder or onto a flat surface in its folded-out condition. Owing to the high coefficient of friction the shoulder support is unlikely to slip off a shoulder.
An embodiment of the camera in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the connecting members are coupled via a coupling mechanism, which couples the movements of the first and the second connecting member. It has been found that such a coupling mechanism improves the stability of the camera with respect to the shoulder. Preferably, the coupling mechanism is constructed in such a manner that the second connecting member folds in when the first connecting member is folded in. As a result, the shoulder support folds in as a whole when the first connecting member is folded in by sliding the camera onto a stand, the first connecting member then being pressed sideways against a stand. This allows the camera to be placed onto a stand in one movement.
The shoulder support in accordance with the invention comprises a coupling member and a flexible carrying member, the flexible carrying member having a first end and a second end and a carrying surface for cooperation with a shoulder, which carrying surface is remote from the coupling member, the flexible carrying member being connected to the coupling member by means of a comparatively stiff first connecting member near the first end of said carrying member, the flexible carrying member being connected to the coupling member by means of a comparatively stiff second connecting member near the second end of said carrying member, and the first connecting member being movably coupled to the second connecting member. The shoulder support in accordance with the invention is suitable for carrying a load on a shoulder. By placing the load with the shoulder support on a shoulder in such a manner that the shoulder bears against the carrying surface of the carrying member at a position between the ends of the carrying member, a pulling force is produced in the carrying member, which force acts upon the connecting members and urges the ends of the carrying member towards one another. Since the connecting members are movably coupled, the ends can move towards one another and the shoulder support exerts a clamping action on the front and the back of the shoulder. As a result of this, the weight of the load is distributed over a larger area of the shoulder, so that less pressure is exerted on the shoulder. Moreover, the clamping action provides a better hold of the shoulder support on the shoulder. Furthermore, poising the load on the shoulder is easier since the shoulder support also bears against the front and the back of the shoulder. In addition, the measures in accordance with the invention ensure a satisfactory fit of the shoulder support over a large range of shoulder dimensions.